Neo Geo Arcade Stick Pro Includes 20 Games Pre-Installed

SNK revealed on Tuesday that its Neo Geo Arcade Stick Pro stick will come with 20 games pre-installed, and also confirmed that it is planning to release the hardware worldwide. SNK did not reveal yet which specific games will ship with the hardware.

The stick’s design draws inspiration from the Neo Geo CD controller, and it can switch between Arcade Stick Mode and Console Mode. In the former, users can plug it into a Neo Geo Mini or PC and use it as a standard arcade fighting stick. In the latter, users can connect the hardware to a display device with an HDMI cable, with options to connect Neo Geo Mini controllers or another Neo Geo Arcade Stick Pro for multiple players.

SNK describes the hardware as a “Pro-Gear Spec Advanced Entertainment System” and as new hardware following the Neo Geo Mini system. SNK had previously teased in both English and Japanese that it would announce a “Neo Geo hardware” that could link to last year’s Neo Geo Mini system. The English version of the Twitter post described the hardware as “Next-Gen,” while the Japanese version simply described it as “new.”

The Neo Geo Mini shipped in Japan in July 2018 with 40 games from the original Neo Geo system. The system has a “Japanese Version” for the Asian market and an “International Version” for North America, South America, Europe and other regions with a partially different game lineup. A “Neo Geo mini Christmas Limited Edition” followed in Japan at the end of last year.

The Neo Geo family of systems began with the cartridge-based Neo Geo MVS arcade system, and its home console counterpart the Neo Geo AES, in 1990. At the time of its release, SNK touted an arcade-perfect experience with the AES, as it shared the same hardware as its arcade counterpart. SNK developed many of its most iconic game franchises for the system. SNK later released the Neo Geo CD and Hyper Neo Geo 64 systems. The Neo Geo Pocket and Neo Geo Pocket Color, released in 1998 and 1999 respectively, were earlier attempts at a portable version of the arcade system.